Panama Hartmann Estate—located in the Chiriqui highlands of the Boquete region—is owned by the Hartmann family.
Mr. Alois St. Hartmann (Luis Hartmann) was born in Czechoslovakia in 1891 which he abandoned being a young boy when the First World War began. Thanks to his mother he could hide in a ship that took him to Pennsylvania, USA, saving him from death since two of his brothers died after joining the army. With some friends he visited some countries until he come to Panama in 1911, he settled down in the province of Chiriqui, specifically in the Candela region, where in 1912, he built the first cabin in this virgin forest. Today, the third generation of the Hartmann family represented by Mr. Ratibor Hartmann is running the business.
Although most of the land is used for shade grown coffee, the farm is also a popular birding destination, and researchers are welcome there. The Hartmanns even offer a field station for research purposes. Over 280 bird species have been recorded at the farm. As bird-friendly as the farm is, however, they have not yet been officially certified as “Bird Friendly.”
Welcome to my Table, here in the corner of this cafe. Today we’re sipping the Panama Hartmann Estate, from Sunergos Coffee in Louisville, Kentucky. Feel free to pull up a chair.
THEDETAILS:
region: Santa Clara, Candela, Panama
farm: Finca Hartmann
producer: The Hartmann Family
association: N/A
elevation: 1260 – 1500 meters above sea level
cultivars: Typica, Catuai, Caturra
process: natural
certifications: standard
CUPPINGNOTES:
The aroma of the Panama Hartmann Estate is intoxicating. Wonderfully rich, aromatic, sweet… Lovely scents of vanilla, honey, berries, faint wisps of wildflowers.
As I take my first few sips of the cup, my palate is overtaken by an incredible coffee. My goodness, this coffee is tasty. It’s fairly light-bodied and possesses a plush mouthfeel—somewhere between creamy, velvety, and silky. It’s fairly complex and difficult to describe, but I think “plush” is the word I’m looking for. Anyway. This coffee tastes fantastic. Vanilla bean ice cream and honey coat the tongue like a lazy river, carrying along flavors of strawberry, raspberry, and tart rhubarb, and finishing with a lingering taste of raw cocoa nibs.
As the cup cools off, these flavors coalesce further, making the profile a unit of concentrated sweetness. There’s also been an emergence of lemon juice and black cherry, which add to the coffee’s tart acidity. Each sip ends with a clean, crisp snap, leaving behind a sparkling clean finish and a slightly lingering aftertaste of strawberry milk and roasted almonds.
Light body; plush/effervescent mouthfeel; tartaric acidity; clean finish.
FINALTHOUGHTS:
My, my, my… What a tremendous coffee this was. Sunergos Coffee’s Panama Hartmann Estate was an absolute treat. Very flavorful, vacillating from sweet to tart, deftly balancing the fine line that divides delicious and complex, the Panama Hartmann Estate really has it all. It’s a coffee that’s challenging to dissect while still being pleasurable to just sit back, kick up your feet, and relax with.
Really, I can’t recommend this one highly enough. It may well be the best coffee I’ve had from Sunergos yet.
What were your thoughts of this one? Comments, questions, and suggestions are always welcome! Feel free to enter a comment below. Also remember to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!
Andrew is a husband, father, dog lover, craft beverage enthusiast, content creator, and niche market Internet celebrity. Formerly of A Table in the Corner of the Cafe and The Pulitzer Project and contributor to Barista Magazine and Mental Floss, he’s been writing on the Internet for years.